Our Story

 

I started Vortexyarns after many years of spinning for other businesses, vending at wool festivals, and presenting my fine fiber artwork in many different venues. Vortexyarns has become the culmination of my very favorite fiber things- hand dyeing, hand spinning, and hand felted artwork. I truly gravitate towards making the yarns and roving for other hands to transform into physical objects. I am a felt artist. I am currently obsessed with knitting too, but it has taken me awhile to get here.

I started out as a kid learning needle arts and sewing from my mom. In high school, I started my first business as a tie dyer. I later pursued photography, and back then the chemicals drove me away into the magic of paper making. I received a minor in Fine Art, working in hand cast paper sculpture. Moving to Taos when I was 19, I discovered wool. Papermaking transformed into feltmaking.

I soon began spinning as an independent contractor, and also developed my own line of hand spun yarns. Wanting more input into my process, I learned how to dye roving for my spinning, and that led to my line of hand dyed yarns. I also moved off the grid, and use catch water for my dyeing as well as my high desert gardening. Living in the mountains, surrounded by continuous sky, inspires me in all my creative work.

During this journey, I participated in fine fiber art shows and wool festivals, and eventually started to help produce them. Creating opportunities to showcase fiber artists of all kinds is a natural passion of mine. I have made the Gallery on my website to exhibit mostly the knitted and crocheted garments of my customers, but you will find the nods to the non-functional fiber art as well.

Merce Mitchell